MyPoints: Earn Points For Reading E-mails & Visiting Websites

Well, I just burned a few minutes and grabbed another $25 Amazon.com gift certificate from MyPoints. It’s one of the few surviving “read e-mails for money” websites from the dot-com boom, and is a great example of Bored Money – ways to earn some money on the side that aren’t really high-paying on a per-hour basis, but you can usually do them at your convenience with no commitment or responsibilities.

The Payout
For the most part, you get 5-30 points for visiting websites that pay MyPoints an advertising fee. Many of them come by e-mail (BonusMail), so I would recommend either adding a special filter that automatically moves emails from MyPoints to a separate folder, or using a separate free e-mail for this program. You often get bonus points for signing up for e-mail newsletters or registering as a member, so having a separate e-mail would be best in that regard.

You can also earn points by taking surveys, playing flash games, using specific grocery coupons, using their Search toolbar, shopping through their online mall portal, and other activities. I primarily just stick to the e-mails, and run through them in batches when I’m waiting for some process to run.

As for redemption options, you can swap the points for the usual variety of gift cards – Barnes & Noble, Macy’s, CVS Pharmacy, etc. I usually just stick to Amazon.com since they are the easiest to use. 3,750 points = $25 Amazon.com gift card. Again, you’re not going to get rich doing this, but the points don’t expire as long as you have any activity within 12 months. Like today, I noticed that I was at 3,600 points and picked up another 150 in about 15 minutes so I could cash out.

Comments

I highly recommend MyPoints. They have great rewards. I’ve been a member for at least 11 years, back when BonusMail and MyPoints were separate companies. Even if you don’t do surveys or anything more involved, simply clicking on BonusMail links will quickly rack up points.

Exactly, it’s a quite specious to suggest that getting 150 points in 15 minutes is normal. Either you haven’t checked in with the site in several weeks and you have 20-30 e-mails and a survey or two, or you bought something, or you did a maxpoints offer or two and signed up for a something or things.

Also points typically have a 30-day hold before you can use them so you can’t just pop in, earn 150 points, and then cash-out immediately.

Obv. the easier you make it (getting points) sound the more referrals you can rack up so I get it.

Memolink is another good site as well. What kills me that I sometimes forget to check either site when I’m making an online purchase. For example, I forgot to go on Memolink when I booked a hotel through priceline – I could have gotten almost 17,000 points! DOH!

No, I don’t think 150 points in 15 minutes is reproducible on a regular basis. I hadn’t checked in for months, so I clicked on all the BonusMails that were still valid, and then went on the site and got all the EasyPoints and other questionnaire points that we easy pickings. I actually got about 200 points, of which 50 points were pending.

Yes, if you are willing to go out, look for a job, find one, interview, get the job, do the training, pay for gas or commuting costs etc, and accept the hourly requirements, of course there are other options. This is done at any time, anywhere, and I can skip it for months. Bored money!

I think it is totally worth it. It takes maybe 3 seconds per e-mail to check, and if I am planning on making an online purchase I just check the sites they give x Points per dollar spent and that helps it out a bunch too. So far I have got a $25 sears gift card, and have just about enough points for a $50 one. Its going to pay for my air compressor that I want (dont NEED it), so when I put out the $200 for it and I essentially got it for checking e-mail, its worth it to me.

I don’t know how you can recommand Amazon. Their a total rip when you count in the shipping. Not only is their shipping high, but they don’t combine orders charging shipping costs for each individual item!

IMO, I think the Subway GC for 1,400 points is a way better offer. That is, if you like Subway and already eat there. 140 points = $1 with that offer. Pretty good return!

I don’t think I’ve ever paid for shipping from Amazon for years now, since they started the Free Super Saver Shipping for many items if your purchase is over $25. I have a feeling you are buying items not from Amazon, but from partner merchants. Since each item ships from a different “store”, they charge you separately.

I have been using MyPoints for years. While it does take awhile to rack up some point I think it has been well worth it. I don’t waste my time on their surveys you get points for. Would end up sending 15 minutes doing a survey only to have them say I didn’t qualify. I do however use a browser with tabs so I can click on a my points email that opens up in a seperate tab, delete the email and move onto the next one. Makes it quick to run through all the points email. Plus anytime I am going to purchase through a website I see if I can go thru mypoints to rack up some points per dollar. I have cashed out last year and was able to get enough Home Depot gift certificates to get 12 wooden blinds for the house and 9 storage racks for the garage. I did take me several years to get enough points for what I wanted – but I only spend a minute or so a day checking my points mail.

Reading websites can also give you great insight to shifting consumer demand. While foreclosure filings are still on the rise, another trend is beginning to build the foundation for a revival of the housing market. By watching the related traffic on such sites as NewLifestlyes.com and Seniorresource.com one sees a growing interest in senior apartments.
Seniors looking to downsize are temporally turning to apartments. Hence, senior apartments serve as a “housing demand reservoir.” As the housing market stabilizes and the economy improves, those folks in apartments will want to move into more permanent properties. With a bit more time we should see the shift back to ownership properties.

MyPoints is great! I’ve been a member for several years and it is sooooo easy. I have a filter in gmail that labels all of the mypoints emails and removes them from the inbox. Then once a week I plow through the 5-15 emails that have accumulated, opening each email and clicking on the “Get Points” graphic to open the link in a new tab. Then i just close all of the tabs. Couldn’t be easier! I also check their merchant list if I’m going to buy something online. Don’t bother with the surveys, they take too long.

I’ve redeemed points for several Starbucks cards, a couple restaurant.com certificates and an amazon.com certificate and I currently have enough points for $75 worth of Home Depot cards. All for 5 minutes worth of work per week!

I am just curious… what is your banking/investment set-up? I mean, how do you do banking to maximize interest, transfers, etc.? I am in the process of reorganizing my banking/direct deposit/checking accounts and wondering if you have any suggestions. Thanks.

I just click to get the 5 pointers mostly. I do it when insomnia sets in (usually every night) so it’s not like I’m dedicating my spare time to it. I did sign up for a couple things that I wouldn’t have known about without Mypoints. In particular there is a drug comparison one that monitors my various medications and advises me if there is any conflict. I did mention a possible drug interaction with my doctor and she agreed and modified my prescriptions. Can’t remember the name of it now though.

Totally love Mypoints!! Have only been signed up for 6 mos, and have already earned a $50 Kohl’s gift card, and a $25 Old Navy one. I mostly just spend a few minutes a day opening the bonus mail, but have spent money on a few services to earn larger point value’s. But still didn’t have to spend much. For instance, i signed up for the Netflix free trial, then paid 6.99 mo., for 1 mo. only, and earned 1000 pts. I had movies to watch always, and saved the money i would have spent at the movie store. Would have kept the service, but summer was just here and didn’t plan on spending much time inside watching movies for awhile.

This is obviously and old post, but for those like me who just stumbled upon it I want to share with you a way to rack up points very QUICKLY! I am a member of bzzagent.com This website sends you free products to try, and all that you have to do is complete campaigns. These campaigns include things like sharing on Facebook, Twitter, instagram, writing product reviews on websites, and spreading word of mouth recommendations or opinions on products. They want you to be 100% honest, so telling them a product sucked will not effect your score at all! Anyway, each campaign activity that you complete, you get points toward a your my points account. Of course, like all points on my points, it takes up to 30 days to process, but you can get 100 points in one wack. Just be sure to accept them! Super easy. . I have been on my points for only a couple of months, and already have over 1300 points!

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